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Month: April 2014

Welcome again to another Kat-a-log issue and Happy Easter! The weather is lovely, the sun is out and all cats in our neighborhoods are sleeping outside without a care in the world. It’s a rare treat for the UK to be getting so much sunshine, we are going for a walk as soon as this entry is ready and published online! Don’t worry about Malicia, she is living on Malta and they enjoy beautiful weather there at least 320 days a year. It’s only poor Rita that has to be careful not to freeze off her backside in the middle of April!

Big thanks to everyone who visits us often, we seem to be getting more and more hits with each entry. We are pleased to announce that the Kitchen special was one of our most popular blogs – all thanks to you dear readers. We are truly grateful and please don’t stop visiting. Pass the word around, we have enough kittens to share with you (and with the whole wide web) for another 20 editions or so.

All comments, tips and links are greatly appreciated. As you know, we are unable to identify all figurines and you have to help us. All fan-mail and kitten crunchies can be sent to rdabrowicz at yahoo dot com. Our cats especially like a certain brand that starts with letter P (we are not telling ya, you will have to guess!) so each donation will be quickly and dutifully eaten 🙂

Previous edition of Kat-a-log can be found below. Just click on each link and the article will open in new browser:

As we are celebrating Easter Holidays, we decided to show you the newest additions to our mom’s collection of cats. The newcomers have joined the rest of the gang just days ago and they haven’t been even shipped to Poland yet!

Ladies and gents, please welcome the new kids on the block!

Kat-a-log Feline no.102Four sides of a cat: Hello, I am a cat, Waiting for you, Garden of Eden and On a hot tin roofCountry of origin: UK, bought as a gift in late April 2014

The newbie with a number of 102 is a cute ceramic white kitten so fresh as a bun in the bakery at 4:00 am in the morning! It was purchased in Cardiff just few days ago and photographed on the spot at the lovely Oriental Garden located at Atlantic Wharf waterfront in Cardiff Bay. We went to Cardiff to visit The Doctor Who Experience (we cannot recommend it highly enough!) and on our way to the car, we noticed a small arts and crafts event taking place right at the waterfront promenade. You know us very well so it it easy to predict what has happened next: Rita and Mal delayed the decision to go home and went off cat hunting. And it was a very good decision as we would never met a very talented artist named Sadie Hurley. Sadie is proud owner of small business called Sadie Hurley Ceramics that specializes in making beautiful earthenware items. She is an award winning artist with an excellent reputation in Wales and beyond. Sadie is a frequent exhibitor at the International Ceramics Festival in Aberystwyth, so please visit her if you have a chance. She is open for commissions and runs a popular ceramics workshops several times a year.

Our white fella is a small bisque (unglazed) figurine, 6 cm tall, weighing about 300 grams. It can be painted with acrylics but we decided to leave it as it is – he is perfect! Rita took only four pictures and Olympia decided to include all of them in this issue for your enjoyment.

Kat-a-log Feline no.103Three sides of a cat: Carry on through it all – he’s a waterfall, I was promised a fish and Swimming on a SundayCountry of origin: China, given as a gift in April 2014

Everybody loves blue-green colored cats and we are no exceptions. We cannot decide if this color is actually cyan, teal or maybe even turquoise, you will have to be the judge. One thing is for sure, a cat number 103 won Olympia’s heart in an instant and she wants this figurine delivered to Poland pronto. It was a gift from Jenn, Rita’s co-worker and it was bought during her trip to Brighton at the beginning of April 2014. Jenn loved this figurine herself and she had a hard time parting with it, we feel really sorry for her! You will have to believe us, this figurine is not a fluffy little thing but a properly heavy piece of a fat cat! It weights about half of a kilogram and Olympia can employ him as a paper weight.

This figurine has been made in China but it was shipped to the UK by Joe Davies, the oldest British Independent Retailer and Wholesaler under their own brand Shudehill Giftware. Shudegill collection consists of nearly 40.000 items and each year about 5000 new gifts and collectibles are introduced on the market.

Kat-a-log Feline no.104Three sides of a cat: Sitting at the top of the wall, Canal cat and City hunterCountry of origin: Vienna, Austria, given as a gift in April 2014

Another cat and another gift from Rita’s co-workers. Crescent headed cat was bought by Ali on her trip to Vienna at the beginning of April 2014, almost at the same time when Jenn got us the kitten described above. Sadly, we do not know much about it. The figurine came without any tags or labels and Ali doesn’t know where it was actually bought. She remembers only a small art gallery/souvenir store near the famous Opera House which is located at Opernring 2 in the city center of Vienna. She is convinced this cute cat is not an unique work of art made by a local artist but a mass produced figurine as there were many other cats looking exactly like this one in the store.

Unique or not, we appreciate any feline given to us. Olympia thinks the design is really beautiful and cannot wait to put this figurine on a shelf. she has found a purrfect spot for it already!

Sitting at the top of the wall

Canal cat

City hunter

Kat-a-log Feline no.105Three sides of a cat: Walking on the moon, Space stare and SpacemanCountry of origin: South-East Asia, bought as a gift in Sorrento, Italy in April 2014

What can be made from several pieces of driftwood, two long springs, 43 wooden beads and four thin metal wires? The answer is simple: a very strange looking cat. Olympia’s collection is filled with unique creatures, but this feline is simply out of this world! This wooden figurine (or maybe a sculpture) is 20 cm tall (just body) and 29 cm in height if you count the tail. Hand carved driftwood has been polished, painted and covered with a nice amount of wood varnish giving the cat a nice smooth finish and lots of glow in the sunlight. It has been made in South East Asia and was brought to Europe by fair trade organization known as Leaf Gifts. Their headquarters is based in Nottingham (United Kingdom) but the Leaf Gifts import their stock to other fair trade stores in Italy, France and Germany. Our figure has been purchased by a friend in Sorrento in Italy during his spring holidays.

You should see Olympia’s face when she saw this remarkable pet on Skype for the first time! Her laughter could be heard for a few miles, we are absolutely sure about that. And once she stopped laughing, she said this cute oddball is every cat collector dream come true. That’s what collecting is all about – finding rare and curious items before anyone else does!

We nickname this cat Spaceman as he reminds us of Babylon Zoo’s lead singer. Jay Mann is known for having amazingly blue eyes that could see through you like an X-ray machine. Here’s the video if you haven’t heard this superb cosmic rock anthem before:

Photo-shoot for the space kitten was taken on Malvern Hills several days ago and it was a true nightmare as his head would not keep still. We have taken hundreds of shots and only handful of them were not blurry. It’s hard to work on a hill top fighting strong gusts of wind and escaping hordes of tourists. Eh the sacrifices we make for this projects!

Thank you kindly for reading Kat-a-log issue number 23! Please come back again shortly and don’t forget to rest.

Have a wonderful holidays!
All the best from your Kat-a-log editors:
Rita, Malicia and Olympia Dabrowicz

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Does anybody wants a cookie? How about some chocolate cake? If you have a sweet tooth, you certainly have come to the right place. On Saturday the 12th April 2014, for the first time in the history of Worcester, whole town was celebrating The Chocolate Day. Of course we have been there, we sampled everything, gained few pounds in the process and lived to tell the tale!

There are only few people on this planet that truly do not like chocolate at all. The rest of us simply cannot resist the urge to indulge ourselves in the pleasures of munching on a huge bar of chocolate. This photo entry is dedicated to readers of all ages who are not ashamed to grab a piece of chocolate here and there and are not feeling guilty about it!

You can find more information about the Chocolate Day 2014 using the links below:

City Center Celebration – City Center has been completely paralyzed by the hordes of hungry visitors! Absolutely delicious day, but the weather was a bit crap, so please excuse that the pictures are a bit dark and gloomy. Lots of attractions for the visitors including Easter egg hunt, chocolate egg races and workshops how to make your own chocolates. We have meet tourists from good old US of A (hello Alabama!) and from Scandinavia. It was good to hear people praising free events like that – apparently in other parts of the world you have to pay for entry!

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Chocolate Day poster in the city center

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Egg and Spoon race – we were too old to participate – what a shame!

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Map of Chocolate trail and Easter Egg Hunt

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Chocolate fountain in front of The Guild Hall

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Street side choco-o-cafeteria

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Seriously scary mascot walking the street – the kids were not impressed!

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Archie – chocolate Newfoundland and his friends are training to become companion dogs for soldiers suffering from PTSD

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Another picture of the chocolate gang – a great initiative to help those who struggle with long term illnesses

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Group of volunteers responsible for bringing the dogs to the Chocolate Day

Ok, we couldn’t resist so here’s another shot of Archie and the brown gang!

Chocolate Deli – Cafe, patisserie and a chocolate shop

Feeling peckish? Looking for a good place to sit down and enjoy the coffee and something sweet? Let us introduce you to Worcester’s only handmade artisan chocolate makers! Chocolate Deli has been opened for only few years but it has gathered a faithful clientele and on the weekends and bank holidays it is hard to find a free table. The Deli offers nearly 50 different kinds of chocolates including dark, white, milk, truffles and alcohol filled ones among others. We love the dark and alcohol filled ones the best: peppermint with fondant center, violet cream, rose cream and delightfully sweet kirsch cherries!

One of the most expensive chocolate eggs on display – this Aztec inspired masterpiece could be yours for only 50 pounds

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Chocolates in special tins and cups – all sizes and shapes guaranteed!

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Chocolate pizza? No problem!

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Few words of wisdom – drink coffee and repeat after me

House of Dogs – Professional canine grooming and pet boutique

Before you start asking questions, yes – we have visited House of Dogs as part of Chocolate Day 2014. The best thing about the chocolate celebration day was that local small businesses were participating as well. Kids could go from store to store to look for hidden Easter eggs or treats and adults had a chance to discover shops or services they didn’t know that existed. You have to remember that ancient cities like Worcester offer so much more than just High Street shopping. Worcester has an entire network of back streets filled with coffees houses, arts and crafts shops and art galleries that you need to discover. House of Dogs is a perfect find for people who are bonkers about their pooches. They offer grooming, ecological shampoos and health products and of course cloths and treats. Visiting a chocolate day with your dog can be a real nightmare, especially if you own a breed that lives to eat. Since dogs are not allowed to eat chocolate, House of Dogs came as a rescue to us. We bought our black Labrador princess (named Kitana!) ecological gluten free cookies made inside the store and she absolutely loved them. And the treats came in shapes of bunnies, chickens and little fluffy lambs. We were happy and the dog had a healthy treat – win-win situation.

A pack of goodies that lasted for about 10 minutes – Kitana have just swallowed them. Labs are greedy

Clockwatchers Cafe and Restaurant – please feel at home

Small, family run business that has been feeding locals and tourists alike for more than two decades. Clockwatchers is a true gem among independent coffee houses in Worcester located on a beautifully old Mealcheapen Street, very close to the High Street. The restaurant serves home made meals and takeaway is also possible. What we really like about this place is they participate in every major celebration taking place in the city and still they managed to retain their independent status and charm. On Chocolate Day, Clockwatchers had a real chocolate fountain in front of their premises. How cool is that?

Have you ran out of Parma Violets? Doctor Who on Saturdays and no Jelly Babies in the house? Don’t panic, one trip to Nostalgic Sweets and all problems are solved. Rita absolutely loves this family run sweets shop located in Crown Gate Shopping Centre in the heart of Worcester. Jelly, Foam, Candy, Fizzy, Sour, Gum, Chocolate, Fudge, Toffee, Hard Boiled, Herbal, Liquorice, Coconut, American, sugar free, Harry Potter collectible frogs – they have it all. She also occasionally smuggles the Parma Violets to America via Royal Mail to a special lady and talented writer (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Helen-Stringer/214949072020811).

Nostalgic Sweets are on a mission to spread happiness and memories. Join their crusade. For Chocolate Day, they prepared a gargantuan selection of rare chocolates from different parts of the world – we have spent a fortune there!

Our photo review would not be completed if we haven’t taken several snapshots of the fantastic Easter Decorations and Displays that served as hot spots for egg hunt. Art, business and chocolates are a perfect combo!

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Metal chicks with a sweet surprise hidden inside

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A flock of Easter hen baskets

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Baskets and decorative bags – more surprises to be found

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A close up at the mysterious looking baskets made from felt

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Tree decorated with chocolates tins

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Can you see the Easter eggs?

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Bowl filled with Easter eggs

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Anybody ordered chocolate delivery?

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Another package – who is going to eat all that chocolate now?

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Hand painted chocolate eggs

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Now this is what we call an Eastern Egg – a castle for a princess!

Hope you have enjoyed this review. We have to go now and finally devour all remaining chocolate bars and truffles that we bought 🙂
Have a sweet week and we hope to see you next year as well!

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Who would have thought that the spring will come so soon this year! Last time we checked, it was rainy cold weather outside and now the trees are blooming and ducks are fighting for territory at the local marina. UK, Poland and Malta are getting some serious sunshine treatment and even the Easter Holidays are getting closer and closer.

For us springtime usually means one thing: a big cleaning! Olympia is washing the windows, Rita is painting walls and doors and Mal is running errands buying presents and preparing parcels. Despite being so busy, we still found some time to prepare this special edition of Kat-a-log. Just keep on reading and you will be surprised what can be found in your own house when you open all the cupboards and closets!

If you’d like to take a look at previous entries, please use the links below to about cats featured so far:

If you’d like to contribute anything to our kitten project, please do so! We love hearing from our readers and each tip about the figurines is greatly appreciated. After so many years of collecting, we are unable to identify the maker or simply we cannot remember how certain figure came into our hands. So far, we have received several great clues and we were able to add some truly inspiring information about artists, creators or companies who made the figures.
Please send all correspondence to: rdabrowicz@yahoo.com We will get back to you as soon as we can.

Now, this special issue of Kat-a-log has been inspired by a friend (or rather an acquaintance) of ours who once tried to convince us that it is impossible to collect anything in the kitchen. He was sure that collecting items should be only limited to those parts of the household that are usually presented to friends or guests during official visits. A proper way he said, would be to have an entire collection displayed in a showcase in living room under lock and key. He made an exception for stamps or coins which, according to his words, could be kept in special containers on shelves in bedrooms or even under the bed. But how on earth can you have a full collection in the kitchen? He even attempted to laugh at us by suggesting that there are maybe people out there who collects plates or spoons but they cannot be serious, right? Who in their right mind would be collecting plates??

Well, we love proving people wrong. There is nothing more satisfying in the whole wide world than watching people’s faces drop as you kill their silly arguments with few easy examples. You don’t even have to try hard – it took us 15 minute on Google to find several British societies dedicated to decorative plates collectors and several big auctions on Ebay specializing in silver spoons. You have to be pretty rich to collect those, we tell you! Some beautiful items were being auctioned off for thousands of pounds.
Collecting cats seems to be quite an inexpensive hobby it seems!

All together now, say MEOWW

Another battle won, but the situation has got us thinking. People in general know so little about their own family members/friends/co-workers/other relations that they are incapable of telling what their hobbies are. Even worse, when they discover something by accident, they simply belittle the collection or interest by branding it childish, silly or immature. In reality people can collect anything: postcards, vinyl records, Daleks (Robert Hull from Doncaster is the Guinness World Record holder for the biggest Dalek collection in existence), porcelain plates, cutlery, dolls, stamps, beer coasters and chocolate wrappings! Every collector should be able to enjoy their hobbies without guilt trips, name calling or having to resort to silence and secrecy. Olympia is very open about her hobby and doesn’t care what others think but it takes a lot of self esteem and dedication.

So, for the first time in Kat-a-log history we are opening the doors to our kitchen and present you with a unique collection within a collection – a small selection of feline inspired cups, mugs and tea pots!

Kat-a-log Feline no. 90Threesides of a cat: It’s 5 o’clock somewhere, Kitty in a cup and Time for a teaCountry of origin: France, bought as a gift in 2011

Yay! We hit the big 90! This lovely bone china porcelain teapot with a tea cup has been in Olympia’s possession since December 2011. A gift from Rita’s former co-worker, the pot has been purchased on a ferry traveling between Dover and Calais. Before going on a short city break to France, she promised to bring a cat souvenir so it could be featured on the blog. However the promise soon became a real burden as the poor girl had serious troubles finding any cat figurines at all. Paris is usually a cat friendly place, but this time all figurines and sculptures were gone and the friend grew desperate. In her last attempt to keep her word, she purchased a teapot with big fluffy black and white cat painted on it and brought it back with her to Hereford. Giving it to Rita she was quite displeased with the whole experience and vowed to take it back if we didn’t like it.The porcelain teapot has won our hearts straight away and it became a beautiful Christmas present for our mom. It has “Paws for Tea” written around the cap and two Miaows near the handle and sprout. It was been made by Price and Kensington company, now part of Rayware Limited. According to official stats it weights 662 g and the catalog number is 0057.281.

Kat-a-log Feline no. 91Two sides of a cat: Mocha Dominquez and PawprintCountry of origin: UK, bought as a gift in Tallinn in 2009

This superb collector mug designed excursively for British/American company Lang and Wise Fine Gifts in 2004 has been bought in Tallinn, the capitol of Estonia by two of Malicia’s co-workers who spent their holidays there in winter 2009. They found the mug in a small store close to British embassy and thought that this was an excellent opportunity to present her with an unique cat related gift(the price was 10 pounds). The picture on the mug is part of an original painting by American artist Lowell Herrero entitled “Mocha Dominquez”. The mug is exactly 4 inches tall, perfect for hot chocolate and has a lovely paw print inside. If you are interested in details, the mug’s official Lang and Wise catalog number is 0501049 (LH#17).

Kat-a-log Feline no. 92Twosides of a cat: Mirror match and Twin catsCountry of origin: Poland, bought by Olympia in July 2012

Many cat figurines from Olympia’s collection come from far away countries like Israel, Malta, UK or Estonia or from different continents even (Australia, Hong Kong or Japan) but mug number three (or Kat-a-log feline number 92 if you prefer) didn’t have to travel far at all. You see, Olympia found this little gem in a local supermarket store and decided to treat herself. The distance between her kitchen and the store is less than 1 mile! This proves that sometimes you don’t have to look far to find a spectacular item for your collection. This strange looking mug is known as Twin cats and has been made by Ravi Prestige in 2010, Polish gift and home ware company. Since 2012, the company has changed its name to Ravi Limited and now has two major ranges of products : Ravi Simple Solution (cleaning and packaging) and Ravi Decor (home ware).

Kat-a-log Feline no. 93Foursides of a cat: High Rise Cat, I’m Blue, My name is Yellow and How may I serve?Country of origin: Poland, received as part of payment in 2010

Rita officially admits: she is responsible for bringing this huge Ravi Prestige coffee mug home in late May 2010 from Katowice. She has just returned from a 4 month delegation abroad and she didn’t have any loose change on her. Please remember that Poland is the only country in the world where the store might run out of coins and they will happily inform you at the till that they are not able to give you all your money back. Yes you have heard it right, we got used to it somehow but the foreigners are quite shocked when that happens to them. Anyway, usually the store lacks some tiny coins like one penny so you just wave it off and leave the store one penny poorer. What happened on that lovely hot day was, the store clerk admitted that it was too hot for her to go look for a change and asked Rita is she would like to chose something from the store that cost exactly 8 PLN (about 2 pounds). Being in a hurry, Rita grabbed the mug and was on her way home reflecting upon the idiocy of this sad affair. Nonetheless, Olympia had a good laugh about it all and kept the mug. And they all lived together happily ever after (minus Rita who decided to move out to some normal country). The End.

High Rise Cat

I’m Blue

My name is Yellow

How may I serve?

Kat-a-log Feline no. 94Twosides of a cat: Let’s hunt and Little tigerCountry of origin: Poland, bought as a gift in 2009

Kat-a-log feline number 94 arrived into Olympia’s hands in late October 2009. It was an early birthday gift for Rita from one of her co-workers named Suzanna. Sue is a big animal lover and in her spare time works as a volunteer in local animal shelter. This fantastically cute dolomite tea mug was made by Polish company SABA around 2007 and sadly is not longer available through their shop. It has been hand painted and covered with two varnish layers for extra protection and some serious shine. The mug is part of Colorful Animal series and is designed for kids, but what the heck, adults might enjoy them as well!

Rita’s favorite tea mug! This absolutely delightful white porcelain mug comes from the award winning Contented Pets series made by English company Rayware. Rita found it in Tesco in Gloucester while shopping and she had to add it to her cart. We can see some readers’ faces at this moment. Tesco? Yes, indeed. Sometimes we are being asked why we put such information online and the answer is always they same – because this is what happened and that’s how we found a certain item. Buying in Tesco isn’t probably glamorous but they have a very nice selection of mugs and home ware that are of top quality. If you come across something you like, just buy it and don’t regret it, that’s our philosophy. You do not have to pay lots of money to enjoy a truly wonderful present. The price was about 4 pounds and we are more than happy to tell you when we got it from. Contented pets series can be found in many other stores including Marks and Spencer Home, Amazon, Very.co.uk and Ebay.

The mug weights about 400 g, is 4.25″ tall with a 3″ diameter and contains 12oz (about 340 ml).
Official website:http://www.reyware.co.uk

My contented cat

My cuddly cut

My sad cat

Contented pets logo

Kat-a-log Feline no. 96Four sides of a cat: Morning coffee, Upside down, Happy happy cat and Fish-bone for teaCountry of origin: unknown, bought as a gift in January 2012

In direct contrast to previous mugs presented above, Kat-a-log feline number 96 is a bit of a (silent) enigma to us. We do not know where it was made and by whom. The most believable theory is, it was made in China and then bought by Polish company named PERFEKT. Perfekt Limited are not the makers, they are distributor of various gifts and kitchen ware from Asia to European Union and their logo has been pressed at the bottom of the mug. This is a standard procedure among Chinese producers – European or American clients are choosing items from a catalog and the Chinese company adds their client’s logos or name to the products before shipping it to where the items will be sold. It is a bit sad that we are unable to tell you who the real maker is or that we do not even know the name of the artist. If you know Polish, you are free to visit the website of the Polish company who brought this cute cat collection to us: http://perfekt.co/page1.php

Morning coffee

Upside down

Happy, happy cat

Fish-bone for tea

Entire collection of mugs

Kat-a-log Feline no. 97Fivesides of a cat: Meow Part 1 ,2 ,3, 4 and5Country of origin: China, bought as a gift in May 2013

A real panorama of cats! The last mug in today’s special edition of Kat-a-log has a very similar history to that of number 96. All we really know is this super cute mug has been made in China and traveled all the way to Poland where Rita and her dad found it in a supermarket and thought it will be a great way to cheer Olympia up. at that time, Rita was awaiting thyroid operation and Olympia was very afraid. We can proudly report that Rita is now perfectly healthy and Olympia loves to drink cappuccino from this very mug and purrs like a real cat each time she is given one (especially chocolate and vanilla flavored). If anybody from our dear readers knows the real maker please send us a line!

Meow part 1

Meow part 2

Meow part 3

Meow part 4

Meow part 5

Kat-a-log Feline no. 98 and 99Two sides of a cat: Catalog and Dinner at Tiffany’sCountry of origin: UK, given as a gift in 2013

We had teapots, cups and collection of mugs already. Do you know what’s missing? Tea towels!! Olympia decided that since she runs a cat friendly kitchen (in a cat friendly household) she needs to add some cat related accessories. the tea towel have been bough by Rita in April 2013 in Hereford in her favorite cooking shop called Cook Mate. Sadly the owners of this small business retired and the store has been closed. But before their doors have been closed forever, Rita managed to sneak in and found two puurfect tea-towels. We decided to put the two items together but each will receive a separate Kat-a-log number.

Number 98: the tea towel has been designed by Helen L Smith, a widely known artist that makes wonderful comical illustration about our beloved pets. The illustration is called Catalogue of Cats (how appropriate!) and the tea towel has been made by McCaw Allan. The tea towel number is 781U.

Number 99: This cotton tea towel is entitled “Kittie’s Dinner” and has been made by Samuel Lamont Group – Northern Ireland. Like the previous tea towel, it measures exactly 78 cm x 48 cm and weights about 120 grams. Its unique number is B0529. Both towels have been on the market since 2012.